Rev. Jen Nagel Has Been Elected Bishop of the Minneaplis Area Synod, ELCA.

 

ELM photo of Jen Nagel, the new bishop of Minnesota, ELCA.

Rev. Jen Nagel will be received to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America clergy roster on Sunday, September 26.

The Rite of Reception will occur during a 10:30 a.m. worship at Salem English Lutheran Church, where Pastor Jen has served since 2003. Pastor Jen was ordained at Salem English Lutheran in January of 2008. Salem English Lutheran is located at 2822 Lyndale Ave S. in Minneapolis. This will be the third ELCA Rite of Reception for extraordinarily ordained pastors.

Salem English is a transformational and urban ministry in the Uptown neighborhood of Minneapolis.

Pastor Jen is trained in intentional interim ministry. She holds an M.Div. from University of Chicago-Divinity School, completed work at Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago and at Concordia College in Moorhead Minnesota. She has served at Central Lutheran Church and Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis, as well as in Africa, Chicago, Michigan, and outdoor ministry settings. Jen has served as a member of the Central Committee of the World Council of Churches and the Minneapolis Area Synod Council. She is currently serving as Co-Chair of the Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries Covenant Circle.

Earlier this year, Minnesota Public Radio interviewed Pastor Jen about the changes in the ELCA ministry policies. You can watch the interview here.

Pastor Jen and her partner, Rev. Jane McBride, live in Minneapolis with their daughter.

Jane McBride is a United Church of Christ minister.

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Jen Nagel Elected Bishop of the ELCA Minneapolis Area Synod

5/8/2024 3:00:00 PM

​CHICAGO — The Rev. Jen Nagel, Minneapolis, Minn., was elected May 4 to serve a six-year term as bishop of the Minneapolis Area Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The election took place during the synod assembly, May 2-4 at Lord of Life Lutheran Church in Ramsey, Minn.

Nagel was elected on the fifth ballot, with 316 votes. The Rev. Natalia Terfa, associate pastor of Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, Brooklyn Park, Minn., received 146 votes.

The bishop-elect has served as lead pastor of University Lutheran Church of Hope in Minneapolis since 2015. Previously she served as pastor of Salem English Lutheran Church in Minneapolis (2003 to 2015) and as a teaching staff coordinator at Holden Village, Chelan, Wash. (2011).

Nagel earned her Bachelor of Arts in religion and classics from Concordia College, Moorhead, Minn., in 1994; a certificate of studies from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago (LSTC) in 1999; and a Master of Divinity from the University of Chicago Divinity School in 1998. Concordia is one of 26 ELCA colleges and universities; LSTC is one of seven ELCA seminaries.

She will be installed Sept. 21 at Central Lutheran Church in Minneapolis.

The Rev. Ann M. Svennungsen is retiring after serving as bishop since 2012. Her last day will be July 31.

Information about the Minneapolis Area Synod is available at mpls-synod.org.

New Testament Greek Lesson - Lord's Prayer

 

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John 1 Stephanus

1 εν αρχη ην ο λογος και ο λογος ην προς τον θεον και θεος ην ο λογος

2 ουτος ην εν αρχη προς τον θεον

3 παντα δι αυτου εγενετο και χωρις αυτου εγενετο ουδε εν ο γεγονεν

4 εν αυτω ζωη ην και η ζωη ην το φως των ανθρωπων

5 και το φως εν τη σκοτια φαινει και η σκοτια αυτο ου κατελαβεν

6 εγενετο ανθρωπος απεσταλμενος παρα θεου ονομα αυτω ιωαννης

+++

The Lord's Prayer - Matthew 6:9-13

Matthew 6:9 ουτως ουν προσευχεσθε υμεις πατερ ημων ο εν τοις ουρανοις αγιασθητω το ονομα σου

10 ελθετω η βασιλεια σου γενηθητω το θελημα σου ως εν ουρανω και επι της γης

11 τον αρτον ημων τον επιουσιον δος ημιν σημερον

12 και αφες ημιν τα οφειληματα ημων ως και ημεις αφιεμεν τοις οφειλεταις ημων

13 και μη εισενεγκης ημας εις πειρασμον αλλα ρυσαι ημας απο του πονηρου οτι σου εστιν η βασιλεια και η δυναμις και η δοξα εις τους αιωνας αμην

σημερον - using Strong and Thayer

πειρασμον - using Strong and Thayer - πειρασμον strong thayer

Lutheran Library Publishing Ministry - Remembering Walter Maier, PhD - Alec Satin Lutheran Librarian

The Otten factory produced this book, which included Justification by Faith on the back cover, but Herman Otten's widow and the Cub Editor of Christian News only have eyes for Objective Faithless Justification.

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A Man Spoke, The World Listened: The Story of Walter A. Maier

“The voice had an extraordinary range, for each week it was heard around the world. In Shanghai it introduced a Chinese highway engineer to Christianity. In Illinois it caused a woman who as driving to an illicit tryst to make a U-turn on the highway.

Maier, Paul L

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Luther's Galatians Commentary Complete and Unabridged by Martin Luther

“‘The Epistle to the Galatians was a favorite of Luther’s… He found in it a source of strength for his own faith and life, and an armory of weapons for his reforming work… He came to think very little of his earlier commentaries.

Martin Luther

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Luther's Galatians Commentary in Modern English (Graebner trans.)

“The preparation of this edition of Luther’s Commentary on Galatians was first suggested to me by Mr. P. J. Zondervan, of the firm of publishers, in March, 1937… ‘Luther is still the greatest name in Protestantism.

Martin Luther, Theodore Graebner

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Sprinkling and Infant Baptism by Benjamin Kurtz

“…Arguments derived from Sacred Scripture and Sound Reason, Exhibiting the Necessity and Advantages of Infant Baptism, and proving Sprinkling… to be the most Scriptural and Appropriate Mode of Administering it, together with a number of essays on important subjects connected with Baptism.

Benjamin Kurtz

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The Lutheran Pastor by George Henry Gerberding

“The object of a pastoral theology is to enable men to be true pastors… Right conduct and action should always grow from right principles… Now, the fundamental principles of Lutheran faith and theology are different from those of the Reformed Churches.

George Henry Gerberding

Luther's Ascension Day Sermon Obliterates Objective Faithless Justification

 

Luther's Ascension Sermon. What a bitter day for the hopeless hapless salesmen of Objective Faithless Justification!

The Waltherian Four - LCMS, WELS, ELS, CLC (sic) - got away with their circus act for almost 200 years. When Bishop Martin Stephan stepped off the ship in New Orleans and CFW followed behind him - as the future pope  declare - "all Creation is again under the bright rays of mercy, as in the beginning; yea, in Christ we were justified before we were even born."

This nonsense really began at Halle University through Knapp and others, but it spread - like Bishop Stephan's syphilis - in America.

The poor, pathetic popes of the Waltherian Four continue to use Knapp and Preuss to inspire their equally confused members. When Matt Harrison raised his sanctified and sanctifying chubby hands to bless the 40th anniversary of the Purple Palace, he uttered his favorite snip and clip OJ passage from Romans 4, to wit -

NIV Romans 4: 25 He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.

And all God's people said, "What? Your Serene Highness - Why not honestly recite the verses?!"

KJV Romans 4:24 But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; 25 Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.

The Waltherian Four leadership is incompetent and yet they strive to keep their boats from sinking even faster, adding masking tape here and there. Let us close with a quotation from the back cover of Herman Otten's book about Dr. Walther Maier (PhD Harvard).

Hermon Otten fiddled while Missouri burned, but at least he quoted Walter Maier on the Chief Article of the Christian Faith - Justification by Faith.

Daily Luther Sermon Quote - Ascension - "Where there is faith, there cannot be so many sins, but they will surely be swallowed up and exterminated by faith; where there is unbelief, you will never be able to do good works enough to blot out the least sin. Little, therefore as sin can stand in the presence of faith, so little can good works abide with unbelief."

 

Complete Sermon->Day of Christ’s Ascension Into Heaven. Mark 16:14-20. Christ Commissions his Disciples to Preach the Gospel

12. Now, place the two side by side, and you can rightly conclude: Where there is faith, there cannot be so many sins, but they will surely be swallowed up and exterminated by faith; where there is unbelief, you will never be able to do good works enough to blot out the least sin. Little, therefore as sin can stand in the presence of faith, so little can good works abide with unbelief. Therefore, nothing is needed, in order to do good works, but faith; and nothing more is required, in order to do sin and evil works, than unbelief. Thus it follows that he who believes has no sin and does nothing but good works; on the other hand, he who does not believe, verily, does no good work, but all he does is sin.

13. Therefore I say, however, you cannot have committed so many sins, neither is Satan such an invincible enemy of yours, but that all is taken away and forgiven as soon as you begin to believe. For through faith you have Christ as your own treasure, who was given to you for the very purpose of taking away sin; and who will be so bold as to condemn Christ? For this reason, no sins can remain, however great they may be, if you believe. Thus, you are then God’s dear child and all is well, and whatever you do is all right. If you do not believe, you are damned, all you may do to the contrary notwithstanding; for since you have not Christ, it is impossible for you to blot out a single sin.

14. Now, since there is no other means for taking away sin than Christ, you might ask: How is it then, that we are nevertheless required to do good works; if as you say, all depends upon faith? I reply: Where faith is genuine it cannot exist without good works. Just as, on the other hand, where there is unbelief there can be no good work. Hence, if you believe, there must necessarily follow from your faith naught but good works. For, as faith brings you salvation and eternal life, so it also brings you good works; they cannot be restrained. Just as a living person cannot refrain from moving about, eating and drinking and laboring, it being impossible that such activities should cease while he lives, no one need command and drive him to do such works but — spare his life and he’ll do them; just as all this is true in the physical life, so nothing more is required, in order that good works may be done, than faith. Only believe, and you will do all of your own accord.

15. Thus, there is no need of your demanding good works of him who believes, for faith teaches him all that; and, being done in faith, all he does is well done and all are good and precious works, however insignificant they may seem. Faith is such a noble thing that it ennobles the whole man. Now, it is not possible for a man to live on earth and not have anything to do. Hence all such works as are done by faith are precious works. On the other hand, where there is unbelief a man cannot be without works, either; therefore, such works are likewise all sin. Christ is not there, therefore all is lost. Hence, the statement of St. Paul to the Romans 14:23: “Whatsoever is not of faith is sin.” As though he would say, on the contrary: Whatsoever is of faith is all grace and righteousness; that is a foregone conclusion. Hence, there is no need of asking whether good works shall be done, for they come of themselves, unbidden. Such is also the sense of the Psalmist, Psalm 25:10: “All the paths of Jehovah are lovingkindness and truth.” That is to say, when God works and creates faith in us, all that we do is lovingkindness, and all is truth; that is, all is done sincerely and not from hypocrisy. It follows, however, on the other hand, that all the ways of men are not lovingkindness but sheerest wrath, not truth but mere sham and hypocrisy, because they spring from unbelief.

16. Beware, then, lest under any circumstances you gloss the text, and say: Faith alone is not sufficient; works, also, are necessary in order to justify. For it is sufficiently clear from what we have said that works contribute nothing to this end. Nothing does any harm but unbelief. Works are not sufficient. If faith were present, all would be well. Therefore, as works contribute nothing toward the evil in unbelief, so in faith they contribute nothing toward the good; but unbelief alone corrupts all works and faith makes all works good.

17. But there is still one more thing here, that Christ says: “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved.” Here you might say: I perceive, then, that baptism is also required. To be sure it is, but baptism is not a work that we do. It is to be coupled, however, with faith, because God would not have faith to be hidden in the heart, but would have it burst forth and manifest itself to the world. For this reason, he ordained such outward signs, by means of which everyone may show and confess his faith, to the end that we may come to the holy cross. For, if faith were to be kept as a secret, hidden in the heart, we would be pretty sure of not having to bear the cross or to follow Christ; if the world knew not that we believed, we would not be persecuted.

Reformation Seminary - The Humanity of Jesus Christ -

 

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The Son of God existed from eternity and manifested Himself in many ways in the Old Testament. In Exodus 3 His voice came from the Burning Bush, using the Name - I AM.

As predicted in Isaiah 7:14, He was the great Incarnation, God in man, Immanuel, God with us. His suffering as a man is clearly described in Isaiah 53 and Psalm 22, with Psalm 23 predicting the Good Shepherd.

The Incarnation - God in the flesh - took place according to the calendar established by God. Mary was with child, and the angels rejoiced, proclaiming this miracle to the shepherds. There are many false gods, but only Jesus Christ can be called God and man, the Two Natures united in one person and forever One. 

The rationalist era, which grew from Calvinism and Pietism, created The Life of Jesus books, which catered to believers but emphasized their lack of faith in Him. Reaction to this has led to emphasizing His divine nature without much about His human nature.

Below are some examples of His humanity (remembering that His divine nature is never subordinate to His human nature).

1. Jesus was conceived and born, having all the qualities of a baby boy, nursed by His mother Mary, and growing up in a household that included Joseph as his father.

2. He was baptized by John in the Jordan River, even though John did not feel equal to this person.

3. He went to the desert wilderness where Satan confronted Him. He had water but no bread to eat. He listened to the twisted logic of Satan but did not fall prey to the Evil One.

4. He gathered disciples and trained them. We often see this in light of His divinity, but they did not know the full extent of His divinity until after the Resurrection.

5. He grew weary and prayed.

KJV Matthew 26:36f. Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder. 37 And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy.

KJV Mark 1:35 And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed. 36 And Simon and they that were with him followed after him. 37 And when they had found him, they said unto him, All men seek for thee.

 Luke has many more examples on this link.

KJV John 4:6 Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour. 

A man said, "I don't go to church."

An older lady said, "So you are better than Jesus?
He said, "No, why do you say that."

She answered, "Jesus was always praying in the synagogue, so you are better than Jesus."

Threatened with Tornadoes, Northwest Arkansas Had a Loud Storm, More To Come

 

Enchanted Peace grew six feet tall last year and will probably grow even more.

The tornado threat disappeared last night, but Charlie Sue and I heard the fireworks of a powerful thunderstorm directly above us.

Most of the roses survived the occasional cold spells from last winter. I used a sunny day to trim the dead wood from roses eager to grow and bloom. That action doubles the growth. The roots reach out below for more water and the gentle fellowship of earthworms. Branches grow and buds race to bloom. Thorns cost me a few cuts.

David Austin developed 200 distinct roses.

The two pruning efforts went like this:

1. Rain
2. Prune
3. Rain

Enchanted Peace Rose survived the winter and began blooming immediately.

Some Knockout Roses did the same.

Tess of the d'Urbervilles® - David Austin English Rose

 

I decided to plant locally, so I went to the gardening center and obtained some potted David Austin roses, often called English roses for their perfect blooms. My neighbor said, "They are so perfect I thought they might be plastic."

I gave Creation Gardening to one of the staff.

Easy Does It continues to impress everyone.

Easy Does It has the colors of sunset.

On Sunday, Mother's Day, roses will be placed at the doorways of our cul-de-sac, plus some for Bible John's wife; they live around the corner.

Sick of ELCA Programs? - Why Are the LCMS and WELS So Eager To Work And Worship with Them?

 

This is the Protestia link, the source of many similar outrages.

Their links to ELCA:

Woke Church Newsletter Invites Congregants To Help Pay for Abortions and Abortion Pills
ELCA Recites Blasphemous ‘Sparkle Creed’ + ‘I believe in the non-binary God whose pronouns are plural’
ELCA Head Goes Off On Jesus in Sermon, Calling Him ‘Mean’, Troubling, and Even a Little Racist
Pastrix Says Jesus Called Syrophoenician Woman a ‘B*****’ + “Jesus Screwed Up, She Redeems Him”
Lutheran Pastor Promotes Hookups, Polyamory, and Premarital Sex
Queer ELCA Pastrix Ordained With Drag Queen Nuns While Jennifer Knapp Serenades

Someone created this cauldron to emphasize the fraternal love of the Big Five melting together. The Big Five - ELCA-LCMS-WELS-ELS-CLC (sic). Why was the Little Sect on the Prairie omitted? "A little pot is soon hot." Shakespeare/Oxford.

Daily Luther Sermon Quote - Ascension - "You must believe it and confidently rely upon it that the thing is as the Gospel says, that not your works but the Lord Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection takes away your sin and death. This you can not attain to except by faith."

 

Complete Sermon->Day of Christ’s Ascension Into Heaven. Mark 16:14-20. Christ Commissions his Disciples to Preach the Gospel

7. And this is the trend of all those passages in the prophets where God boasts that he will establish a preaching that will show forth his praise; as when he says in Isaiah 43:21: “The people which I formed for myself, that they might set forth my praise.” As if to say: You hypocrites do no more than praise yourselves in your hearts and thus my praise must perish; for you make me a stern judge and an unfriendly God, so that secretly the people hate me and think within themselves: Ah, if we but had another God, one that would not require so much of us; such a one we would love. Therefore, I will form for myself another people, which shall know me and love me. When they see that I will not regard their works but will give them every good thing freely, their hearts will teem with joy and will never weary of my praise.

8. Therefore, beware of glossing the text and seeking to improve upon the words of Christ. Our doctors and colleges have tried to better them and have said these words must be understood thus: “He that believeth” (understand: and doeth good works), “shall be saved.” Who authorized them to make that insertion? Do you think the Holy Spirit was too stupid to make it? Thus they have utterly obscured, yea, perverted, this precious statement with their insertion. Therefore, take heed and let no one make an insertion for you, but abide by the text as it reads and understand it thus: “He that believeth shall be saved” without his merit, without any works.

Why? For this reason: because God has caused to be preached and proclaimed unto us that he had his Son Jesus Christ come and take away sin and all evil. For he saw that we were not able to do it, that it was an impossibility for us to blot out sin with our works and powers. Otherwise he could have saved himself the trouble and expense of delivering up his own Son to suffer and die; and he has this preached to us in the Gospel.

9. Now what does such preaching call for? It calls for this, that I believe in it, for in no other way can! apprehend it. If you write it in a book, it will be of no use to any man, though you indulge in much thinking about it. Again, you may preach and speak about it, or hear it; it will be to no purpose. You must believe it and confidently rely upon it that the thing is as the Gospel says, that not your works but the Lord Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection takes away your sin and death. This you can not attain to except by faith.

10. Again, Christ says: “He that disbelieveth,” even though he be baptized, “shall be damned.” These words, too, you must allow to remain just as they are. For he does not say thus: He that disbelieves and does evil works besides; but, without any varnish he says: If thou hadst the chastity of all virgins, the sufferings of all martyrs, and, to be concise, if thou hadst all the works that ever were done by all the saints — if thou hadst all these in a heap, yet, if faith were lacking, all would be lost.

The Ovaltines Have the Notes from the 2009 ELCA Convention

 

We cannot predict the future very well, but we can certainly study the past. The Ovaltines - ALPB Online Forum - have preserved their discussions about big events. I thought they skipped the 2009 ELCA vote, but I found it on the list. This is the link to all the discussions about the 2009 ELCA Convention.

One person observed that ELCA had already lost 500,000 members, and I hasten to add, they used the Church Growth ninnies as much as LCMS and WELS. 

How could they lose even more members? That is correct! You are astute. The convention was a done deal before Mark Hanson, the Presiding Bishop, began the event. He was all for a change away from the old ways, men marrying women, having children according to God's Creation. 

The LCA and ALC were already infiltrated with the Left Wing when they birthed the ELCA in 1987. The AELC (Seminex) was even more so, proud of their departure and their seminary board chairman Dick Jungkuntz. 

Jungkuntz went from WELS to the LCMS to Board Chairman of Seminex, providing a nest for a gay seminary, side-by-side with Seminex. Fuller Seminary promoted a similar gay shift in 2013.

The 2009 convention was not a debate, but the tripwire to carry out officially what they had been doing since 1987 and before. Trexler, the editor of The Lutheran magazine, said (paraphrased) "The LCA has been ordaining homosexuals for years." WELS and Missouri are not different - they just keep it to themselves.

Stay tuned to the Ovaltines' conventions. They have plenty to say. One might compare and contrast ELCA with ELCiC in Canada. The Canadian version more Left than ELCA, and they have a long-term lady Presiding Bishop.

Denominations are the only vessel where the ship is wrecked, sinking, and the remnants are chipper.

As the language goes, so goes the doctrine, down down to goblin town.

Tom Fisher's Lambs

 

Bethlehem and Christmas are two lambs born in 20 mph winds and rain.